17:00, 16 January 2010

MC of Abkhazia refutes forcing Georgians to Abkhazian army

Vakhtang Tsugba, Military Commissar (MC) of Abkhazia, rejects statements about forced recruitment of young Georgian nationals to the Abkhazian army. This was stated by Mr Tsugba in the context of the information disseminated by Georgian sources that an Abkhazian soldier Lekso Bzhaniya asked for political asylum in Georgia complaining of his violent recruitment.

"Should Lekso Bzhaniya have stated that he has do desire to serve in armed forces of Abkhazia, nobody would force him there, same as it was 2 years ago, when he was 18," said Tsugba.

According to his story, during the autumn recruitment campaign, in November-December 2009, from the frontier Gali District, inhabited mainly by Georgian nationals, only three persons were drafted. At the same time, he has noted that "recruitment of Gali residents is a painful issue."

"There are young men willing to serve in the Abkhazian army, but they are afraid that the authorities of Georgia will accuse them of treachery," said Vakhtang Tsugba.